Nanjangud is a town in Mysuru district in the Indian
state of Karnataka. It is a temple town and is on
the banks of the river Kapila (Kabini). It is at a
distance of 23 km from the city of Mysuru. Nanjangud
is also called as "Dakshina Kashi" (southern Kashi).

Origin of NameThe main temple at Nanjangud is dedicated to the
Hindu god Shiva, whose another name is
Nanjundeshwara. Nanjundeshwara means the God who
drank poison. Hindu mythology quotes an
interesting legend in which the Gods and demons
churned the ocean in search of the nectar of
immortality. During this churning, there were lots
of artefacts that emanated out of the ocean,
including poison. To prevent the poison from
spreading across the universe and destroying it,
Shiva came to the rescue and drank the poison. His
wife Parvati then held his throat tightly to prevent
the poison from spreading to the rest of his body.
Nanjanagud literally means the place where
Nanjundeshwara resides.

HistoryNanjangud has been a major Shaiva centre since
times immemorial. The original Nanjundeshwara temple
is said to be of Ganga period (325 - 1000 CE). This
temple has then been renovated by the Hoysala kings.
Both Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan had close
associations with this temple. Wodeyar kings have
provided various grants to renovate the temple.

GeographyNanjangud is located at [show location on an
interactive map] 12.12° N 76.68° E. It has an
average elevation of 657 metres (2155 feet).

Nanjangud Taluk borders Mysuru taluk of Mysuru
district to the north, T Narsipur taluk of Mysuru
district to the east, H D Kote taluk of Mysuru
district to the west and Gundlupet and
Chamarajanagar taluks of Chamarajanagar district to
the south.

Getting There
By Road
From the state capital Bangalore, one can take the
State Highway 17 which goes to Mysuru and then
onwards to Nanjangud. The total distance from
Bangalore to Nanjangud is around 163 km.By Rail
Nanjangud has a railway station with broad guage
line(the standard gauge followed by Indian
Railways)which runs from Mysuru to Nanjangud. Mysuru
being an important location is well connected by
rail to major cities in India and hence passengers
can stop over at Mysuru and take another train to
reach Nanjangud. Conversion of the existing metre
gauge line to broad guage from Nanjangud to
Chamarajanagar under project Unigauge is in
progress. There is also a proposal to connect the
railway line at Chamarajanagar to the railway line
at Mettupalayam in Tamil Nadu which will provide
connectivity to Nanjangud to other cities in the
south of India.
The Gauge conversion of the railway track from
Mysuru to Chamarajanagar is completed only up to
Nanjangud and a trail of test train was successful.
The train service between Mysuru and Nanjangud in
operational and soon and will be extended later to
Chamarajanagar after the completion of the gauge
conversion.By Air
The nearest airport is the one at Bangalore.
Alternatively one can use the airports at Coimbatore
or Calicut for reaching Nanjangud. However, the
airport at Mysuru is being upgraded which can then
be used to reach Nanjangud.

Places to see
Nanjundeshwara temple

The town is famous because of the huge temple
dedicated to Lord Nanjundeswara also referred to as
Srikanteswara. It is believed that sage Gauthama
stayed here for some time and installed a Lingam,
the idol form of Shiva. Nanjangud is also known as 'Dakshina
Kashi' or Varanasi of the South.

The temple was originally built by the Ganga rulers
in the 9th century during their occupation of this
region. The residing deity of the temple was later
called Hakim Nanjundeswara; a title given by the
Great Tippu Sultan who had faith in the God. It is
said and inscribed in the temple history that his
favourite and beloved elephant was bestowed with
eyesight by the Lord, after Tippu Sultan's vow with
the local deity. The Sultan then had a Lingam made
of jade along with an emerald necklace and donated
it to the temple. The Vaidya Nanjundeswara, even
today is said to be a healer for his believers, and
one can see even today worshippers doing Urulu seve,
a ritualistic practice after taking bath in the
Kapila river.

Twice every year thousands of worshippers gather for
the famous Chariot Festival locally known as the
Dodda Jathre and the Chikka Jathre. Idols of Lord
Srikanteshwara, Goddess Parvathi, Lord Ganapathi,
Lord Subramanya and Lord Chandikeshwara are kept in
five separate chariots and a traditional puja is
performed to the idols early in the morning on the
Jathre day. After the puja chariots are flagged off.
Thousands of devotees pull the Chariots carved out
of wood, across the streets of the old town. The
town remains immersed in festivities on the Jathre
days.

Sri Raghavendra swamy Mutt

Also there is a famous Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt
which is called Preteeka Sanidhi (one can find a
idol of Sri Raghavendra Swamy instead of the usual
Brindavana). We can find the Moola Brindavanas
(mortal remains) of 5 saints belonging to
Raghavendra swamy mutt lineage known as Pancha
Brindavana.
Banks of the river Kapila in Nanjangud

Parashurama Kshetra

Near Nanjangud is the sangam, where the Kapila and
Kaundinya rivers meet. This place is termed as
Parashurama Kshetra which is where the sage
Parashurama is said to have cleansed himself from
the sin of beheading his mother. A small rivulet
called Suvarnavathy also joins the rivers here.

It is said that Parashurama got immense peace of
mind at this place which he did not get anywhere
else. So he decided to make a penance at the place
where Nanjundeshwara temple presently exists. At
that time, only Adi Keshava Temple existed (which is
now by the side of main-shrine). While cleaning up
the place with his axe, he accidentally hit the head
of Lord Shiva, who was performing penance
underground. Blood started flowing and Parushurama
was frightened to have committed another sin. Then
Lord Shiva consoled him not to worry and build a
temple of his, adjacent to Adi Keshava's. Lord Shiva
also told Parashurama to perform penance at
Nanjangud. Parashurama performed at the place where
his temple presently is located. Lord Shiva was then
immensely happy with it and gave blessings that
those who visit Nanjangud should definitely visit
Parashurama temple to complete their piligrimage
effectively and fruitfully.

It is believed that anyone who lets Jaggery block
and Crystal salt dissolve in Suvarnavathy river in
front of Parushurama Temple, all ill-effects and
sins committed by them will be solved slowly and
permanently just as the way Jaggery and Salt
dissolve in water. This is believed to be so because
Lord Parashurama himself cleansed his sin of
beheading his mother, which can be considered as the
most punishable act.

Nearby Tourist Locations

Mysuru is a well known tourist place, only 23 km
from Nanjangud

Bandipur is well known for its wildlife
sanctuary and is 55 km from NanjangudBandipur Road

Mudumalai, also a wildlife sanctuary is 60 km
from Nanjangud

T.Narsipur (Timakudlu Narsipur) is a well know
pilgrimage and tourist centre, 28 km from
Najangud

Other attractions
Ayurveda

Nanjangud is famous for the Ayurveda medicines
manufactured by the Late Sri. B.V.Pandit. The
Sadvaidyashala established by him serves people very
successfully. Ayurvedic medicenes produced here are
marketed all over India. In earlier times (1950-70)
a tooth powder brand made locally called 'Nanjangud
Hallupudi' was also very famous all over Karnataka.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Nanjangud
had a population of 48,220. Males constitute 51% of
the population and females 49%. Nanjangud has an
average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the
national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 74%, and
female literacy is 63%. In Nanjangud, 11% of the
population is under 6 years of age.

Economy

Nanjangud is a home to many industries which are
mainly located in the Nanjangud Industrial Area
which is spread across 532 acres. It all started
with the now closed Sujatha Textile Mills (STM)
which at its peak used to employ about 3000 people.
Since then, STM has closed down. However, there are
other industries which thrived. There are 36 major
industries, 12 medium industries and 35 small-scale
units at Nanjangud. According to NIA, Nanjangud is
the second highest tax-paying (sales tax of over
Rs400 crore a year) taluk in the State after
Bangalore. Some of the major businesses located in
Nanjangud are:

Nestle India Ltd

AT&S India Pvt Ltd.

TVS Motor Company

Bannari Amman Sugars Ltd

South India Paper Mills

S Kumars Reid & Taylor

Raman Boards

Jubilant Organosys

Brakes (India)

Bacardi RUM

BananasA popular variety of banana locally known as
Nanjangud Rasabaley has also made Nanjangud famous
all over the region.

The fruit evokes tremendous appreciation for its
taste among the older generation of the region. A
variety of banana that offers a distinctive taste, "Nanjangud
rasabale" has tickled the taste buds of people from
far and wide.

The "Nanjangud rasabale," which has unique
characteristics, is identified by its distinct aroma
when it ripens fully. The fruit is also
characterised by its medium size and gall formation
in the pulp. A major characteristic of the fruit is
its long shelf life, as it survives for around a
fortnight after its starts ripening.